Where can I get an alternator for my E30?

[SOneThreeCoupe]

Eek, not quite.

If you care about your engine, you should only use oils with high levels of ZDDP. The m20, like the m10 and m30, uses a setup similar to a solid lifter. When the piston is at Top Dead Center (TDC) the cam will not be in contact with the rocker arm. This allows the valve to fully close. When the cam rotates, it will slap the rocker as it contacts. (Hence the ticking sound like a sewing machine) The ZDDP provides a molecular barrier on the surface of the metal to protect your rockers and cams from premature wear.

In an engine with a hydraulic lifter, the camshaft is always touching the rocker. That's why modern oils for modern engines have a much lower ppm of ZDDP because nothing is slapping. (That's why newer engines are quieter)

My mans.

Nothing outside a race engine with high ramp pressure is going to be exceeding the shear strength of oil film (assuming the oil is relatively fresh and of good quality). The oil film prevents the metal-on-metal if the car is driven on a consistent basis. A standard M20 running 3,000 mile change intervals just doesn't generate the kind of pressure where ZDDP will truly come into play. An oil with a stable viscosity index and high shear strength that generates good pressure hot and cold will be more important.

Everyone jumped on the ZDDP bandwagon, myself included, because it's the easy thing to do. If it helps cover me because my camshaft maker didn't harden a batch properly or because the hard chrome on my rebuilt rockers isn't 100% or because the 356 A engine we just built makes shit for oil pressure because it's an inferior design that was inferior when new but now has sixty years of wear on it. But for an e30 with a stock camshaft and stock rockers, it's just not necessary.

Also, another reason modern oils have less ZDDP because the phosphorus loads up cats. Supposedly.

I did a ton of research and talked to petroleum engineers to choose a break-in oil and "normal" oil to use in my air-cooled Porsche builds. Our break-in oil has a healthy amount of ZDDP and the oils we use and recommend do too, but we're covering our ass on cars that may sit for months at a time. I'm interested in reducing first start-up wear after long-term storage by a client who's not particularly car savvy and won't crank to build oil pressure. We never use ZDDP additives in our own builds with the exception of the additive blend extant in the assembly lube.

[Fish Milk]

Im getting a little confused as to what oil to buy now with all this talk since I’m pretty new to cars and how they work and what works better for my car, I’m assuming I go with a fully synthetic 20w50 of any brand for my E30?


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[McGyver]

Im getting a little confused as to what oil to buy now with all this talk since I’m pretty new to cars and how they work and what works better for my car, I’m assuming I go with a fully synthetic 20w50 of any brand for my E30?

Just buy a decent quality 20w50 oil and a decent filter and you'll be fine.

I was saying that people generally agree that it's important to have high ZDDP (~1200ppm) for an m20 to protect the engine.

Kershaw is saying that it is likely that you have a high mileage engine, and that at this point the damage is likely to have been done. So having high ZDDP won't help much.

SOneThreeCoupe is saying that the whole ZDDP think was likely overblown for a normally driven street engine.

[Fish Milk]

Oh ok thanks, and my engine has about 115k miles on it. Also, I’ve made a list of the liquids that should’ve checked or replaced, as well as other important things but if a car hasn’t been driven or started in about half a year or more. Is there a standard procedure people usually go to that I can find somewhere? Like a checklist before I start it to make sure I don’t damage the engine somehow. Thanks!


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[Kershaw]

OP, I'm glad you are taking maintenance so seriously. That's good. You might want to consider changing the timing belt, or more likely having a shop do that.

What's also good is Google. Check this out: https://www.google.com/search?q=my+c...obile&ie=UTF-8

If you're in the greater DC area, there is an e30 meet every Friday at 730pm at the Starbucks near the 495/95 interchange. If you bring your e30, the people there will surely look at it and let you know if you need to fix something.

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[Fish Milk]

Alright awesome thanks, I’ll try to come by sometime when I finally get the car running


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